Cloakwood Lodge
Cloakwood Lodge is a large lodge and natural retreat in the southeast portion of the Cloak Wood forest. The Lodge is the home of a small circle of druids led by the Archdruid Seniyad. The Lodge is not a public house, but will offer hospitality as a small rustic inn and tavern to invited guests and friendly traders. Notably, the Druids of Cloakwood Lodge are glad to offer their hospitality to both Moonstars and Harpers alike, goodly rangers, and most fellow druids, as long as they remain peaceful and respectful during their stay. Friendly traders are also welcome, provided they behave themselves as well; but they're not generally invited to stay at the Lodge any longer than is necessary for them to conclude their business. Colloquially, the term "Cloakwood Lodge" is used to refer to the Lodge itself, as well as to the Druids of Cloakwood Lodge, the circle of druids who reside in-and-around Cloakwood Grove, where the Lodge is located. Cloakwood Lodge also refers to the small bartering post which the druids run there. Friendly travel is permitted to-and-from Cloakwood Lodge in Cloakwood Grove by way of Cloakwood Trail Cloakwood Trail Cloakwood Lodge is situated about mid-way along the 40-mile Cloakwood Trail, a trail that loops through the southeastern Cloak Wood, connecting to the Coast Way at two points. The Coast Way is the major trade artery running north-south through the region, connecting Baldur's Gate with Beregost and Nashkel. Cloakwood trail splits from the Coast Way near the Friendly Arm Inn and cuts through the Cloak Wood for about 20 miles before reaching Cloakwood Lodge. The trail then loops back out of the forest for another 20 miles before reconnecting with the Coast Way about 25 miles south of the Friendly Arm Inn. This second juncture is about 50 miles north of Beregost. The trail may be traveled in either direction but is closely monitored by the Druids of Cloakwood Lodge. The druids are generally tolerant of outsiders, as long as they approve of your reason for being there - but the reasons they deem acceptable are relatively few, and they're not shy about insisting that strangers state what business they have travelling the forest. One acceptable reason for traveling their trail is that you are there to see them - that you are making a peaceful visit to Cloakwood Lodge - in which case, they will be glad to escort you the rest of the way. Another acceptable reason is that you are "simply enjoying the forest's natural beauty," however, they are likely to view such answers with great suspicion, unless you happen to be a goodly ranger or a fellow druid. If your reason for being there, as revealed or observed, involves any kind of hunting, trapping, woodcutting, or other commercial use of the forest, they are likely to become hostile toward you. While they may not immediately attack, they are likely to insist on escorting you back out of the forest. Failure to comply could result in violence. In other words, if you are traveling on their trail to visit them, you will probably find them to be generally friendly. But if you are traveling on their trail for just about any other reason, they could quickly turn hostile. Cloakwood Grove Cloakwood Lodge sits at the heart of Cloakwood Grove, the home grove of the Druids of Cloakwood Lodge, a medium-sized druid community of about thirty druids and a few goodly rangers and natural craftsmen. The Druids of Cloakwood Lodge are not fervently religious but follow the Old Faith, and they keep their grove in the sacred honor of Silvanus. Aside from Cloakwood Lodge (which serves as the lodge of their order), Cloakwood Grove has a few artisan workshops for natural crafts. Their workshops include a large herbalism workshop, an apothecary, a honey farm, a mead distillery, a hard cider distillery, and a master driftwood artist. The druids also maintain an aerie, and even a small trading post; however, this is much less of a store selling general goods than it is a bartering house for the druid's homemade wares. The Druids of Cloakwood Lodge prefer bartering to transacting for gold or silver. They will accept coin in trade for their crafted wares, but will only do so grudgingly, and only if you have nothing else to trade with them that they need. For those transacting in coin, they will accept no less than double the market price, and will gladly send you away empty-handed if you balk at the price. This as gained them a bit of a reputation for being "the greediest druids that I ever met;" but in actuality, this reputation is not really true. The simple truth is, they don't need your gold, and they don't really want it - but they've discovered that price gouging for gold is the most effective way to encourage repeat customers to bring something better to barter with next time around. If you bring the kinds of trade goods they need, the price gouging stops, and their trades become fair. Accepted Goods The Druids of Cloakwood Lodge are moderately self-sustaining; however, there are several types of trade goods that they are not set up to make themselves. Types of things the druids like to barter include grain (especially uncommon grains), seeds, bulbs, herbs and spices that do not grow well in the Cloak Wood, wool and wool products, fish, eggs, writing implements, books (especially nature related or lore of the natural world), various wines, ales, and liquors that they are not equipped to make themselves. Available Wares The Druids of Cloakwood Lodge specialize in making a number of homemade trade goods and wares, including: * Herbalism-related ingredients, components, and finished products. * Forest and coastal herbs and spices native to the Cloak Wood, especially those which may be dangerous to collect. * Honey and sustainable honey bee products, such as beeswax. They offer numerous varieties of honey, all of which are superb. It is possible to trade for honey here that would sell at a foreign market for twice the value of the goods they'll accept for it; however, they won't be able to sell you more than a few jars of any given kind (they just don't make it that fast). * Mead. Honey wine and Honey Jack, a stronger, distilled version of mead. * Cider. Apple cider and Apple Jack, a stronger, distilled version of hard cider. * Driftwood art. Cloakwood Grove is home to a great master of driftwood sculpture. * Animal training. They are especially adept at training Griffons, Rocs, and other flying mounts, and maintain an aerie devoted to their care and feeding. Portal at Cloawood Lodge Cloakwood Lodge conceals a two-way permanent teleportation circle in its sub-basement that connects it with loyal aid. Should the Druids of Cloakwood Lodge ever require assistance in the defense of the Cloak Wood from unwanted incursions, they are able to summon help by way of this portal. As the Gateway to Cloakport Cloakport is a secret, private Moonstar base on the northeastern shore of Cloakwood Bay. It is barely 10 miles southwest of Cloakwood Lodge, and accessible by a spur of the Cloakwood Trail. The Druids of Cloakwood Lodge have an agreement with the Moonstars to help keep the existence of Cloakport a secret, and to bar passage to-and-from Cloakport to whatever extent that they can. To this end, the druids guard the portions of Cloakwood Train that connect with the Coast Way (just as they have always done), and the Moonstars guard the trail that connects Cloakport with Cloakwood Lodge. Both factions are eager to keep Cloakport, and the road that leads to it, a secret. The druids reveal nothing of Cloakport to visitors and traders who are not trusted allies of the Moonstars. Neither faction desires any more traffic to Cloakport than necessary. Passage to Cloakport via Cloakwood Lodge is regulated, in part, by "approved visitor lists" and a series of ever-changing passphrases. Neither faction is above lying to strangers in order to discourage them from snooping about, and both factions are ready to take up arms against those who do not heed a request to "be on your way." The Shadow Druids The Druids of Cloakwood Lodge are a good example of druids who are protective of their forest realm and their privacy, but not so xenophobic as to run off visitors who obey their rules and standards of clean living. This is in stark contrast to another circle of druids that inhabit the Cloak Wood known as the Shadow Druids. The Druids of Cloakwood Lodge are quick to warn visitors of the Shadow Druids, a druidic cult that inhabits the northwestern part of the Cloak Wood, which they claim as their protectorate. Shadow Druids are highly xenophobic and regularly hostile to outsiders, believing that it is the role of nature to drive out civilization - with violence, if necessary. The Druids of Cloakwood Lodge are not chummy with the Shadow Druids; but they do attempt to maintain a delicate peace with them. Mostly, however, the two druid circles try their best to stay well out of each other's way.